Backtrack
by Saint New
Summary: What will a detective find out when her partner returns? Sequel to Flashback.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

AFTERSHOCK

Elliot could hear rustling behind the door. The suspect was indeed home and decided not open the door. 'Why, we can't have that' he thought to himself. He and his partner simultaneously withdrew their weapons. Sharing a silent nod, Elliot kicked in the door as Olivia rushed through the frame. They saw the suspect attempting a getaway through the window. They sprinted toward the window. By the time they got there, he was one-fourth of the way down the fire escape. Deciding not to shoot at him, they opted to chase him down.

"Stop, Mr. James!" Olivia shouted as she continued her run down the fire escape. The perp was now half-way down the fire escape. He realized it would only be a ten foot distance if he jumped, leaped over the edge of the fire escape, rolled about a foot, and took off running down the abandoned alley. Elliot was slightly stunned by this daring act, but Olivia, determined to catch the guy, leaped off right with him and proceeded to chase him down the alley. Elliot, who was currently twenty feet above the ground, took the oppurtunity to call for backup.

Olivia had chased the perp out of the alley and onto a main street. People milled right pass tham, as if nothing out of the ordinary were happening. There were few exceptions and she guessed them to be tourists from the way they were gawking and snapping photographs. She refocused her attention to the man running from her. He was her height and obviously worked out. But he did have more body fat, giving her the advantage. She could tell he was winded and was now looking for a place to hide. He opted for the convience store they were coming up on. He hadn't counted on the door not being automatic and she caught him trying to pull it open.

Elliot caught up with them in time to see Olivia pull the perp away from the store's door and throw him up against the wall. He had suspected she was having a bad day and when she started punching him, his suspicions were confirmed. He smiled as he witnessed this. He only grinned harder as the guy made the mistake of hitting her back. Elliot didn't like the guy very much, so he let Olivia break his nose before he pulled her away. Not bothering to store away his grin, he pulled the perp up by his shirt, harshly pulled his arms behind his back, and snapped the handcuffs too tightly around his wrists.

"Andrew James, you are under arrest for one count murder, three counts of rape, five accounts of attempted rape, eight counts of assault, violation of your parole, outstanding tickets, three counts of fraud, and one count assualt on an officer. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say..." Olivia smiled smugly as Elliot read the perp his rights. She knew that Elliot thought she was having a bad day. She was, in fact, having a rather pleasant day that was interuptted by the worthless crap Elliot was loading in the back of the squadcar.

"Detectives?" Cragen called to Elliot and Olivia. It was several hours after they had arrested Andrew James. They would have interogated him too, but Munch had a personal stake in the man, so they decided to let Munch have at him. They got a kick out of watching Munch play bad cop as Fin stood in the back of the room glaring at the man.

"Yeah, Cap?" Elliot answered, already rising to follow Olivia into Cragen's office. Once there, they could see the perp's lawyer shooting daggers at Casey with her eyes. As the detectives entered the office, she changed her line of fire to aim at Elliot and Olivia.

"Detective Benson, Ms. Hadley says her clinent claims you assualted him. Is this true?" Casey asked, smirking.

'Sure I hit the sick piece of shit, and I'm not sorry. In fact, I'd happily do it again.' Olivia thought.

"Absolutely not," she answered, smiling at the lawyer, as if daring her to accuse her of lying. Cragen saw this, and chuckled to himself. Casey saw this, and grinned harder. Elliot saw this, and his respect for his partner grew that much more. He grinned, happy to see his partner hadn't changed at all. He was glad to be back. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It was four-thirty five, and Olivia and Elliot found themselves off work unusually early. Deciding they needed a common place to talk, they opted for the small cafe down the street from the precint. They walked out of the precint to step into the harsh rain. They walked slowly, letting the rain wash over them. People rushed past them like they actually had something to do, but Elliot was oblivious to everything and everyone except Olivia. He was so happy that she readily agreed to go to the cafe with him, even if wasn't a real date. Far be it from Olivia to admit she was happy he asked her. 'She always has been stubborn' he thought to himself. He smiled at this.

Olivia looked up to see Elliot smiling. She took a guess at why he was so happy. Was it because she agreed to go out with him? Had she seemed too eager? Was it simply her presence? She wasn't sure, but guessed it too be all three. The wind picked up and she found herself drifting toward him. She hadn't realized it until she bumped into him. He had noticed; he was off in his on little land. She chuckled to herself.

"What's got you grinning like an idiot, El?" she asked, still watching him.

"Huh?...Oh...I don't know...you...me...being home. What got you trying to knock me off the sidewalk?" he teased, throwing an arm around her shoulders. She immediately snuggled into him. This only made him grin harder as he pushed open the door to the cafe.

Elliot and Olivia had spent the past three hours reminsing on the past, sharing like banter, and gazing into each others eyes. The other customers in the cafe either looked peeved or touched. They could hear the older couple whispering in the booth behind them.

"Aww, they such a lovely couple."

"So young too."

"Reminds me of us, Paul."

"Who says we're not still like that?"

"Nobody, Paul."

"Ya better believe it, Martha!"

"They look so happy..."

"Yeah...think he's...what do these young people say?...think he's gonna hit that?" Olivia snorted at this, Elliot tried to conceal his laugh to a small chuckle, while their waitress openly gaped at the old couple.

"Paul! Where d'ya hear that"  
"Jonny told me that was the hip phrase..."

"I swear, that grandson of yours..."

"What about him?..." Elliot and Olivia tuned them out as they leaped into an arguement. They shared a silent smile. They both opened their mouths, as if to say something, but then closed them and continued staring at each other. Elliot looked directly into Olivia's eyes and got lost in the milky chocolate of them...

FLASHBACK

It was an overcast day. Elliot was feeling explosive today and made sure everyone knew. He knew his partner knew and decided to keep her comments to herself. He mad because Kathy had served him with divorce papers a few months back and now she wanted full custody of the kids. He'd be damned if he let her take his children away from him.

"It's my own fault," he said suddenly. Olivia turned to look at him.  
"I wasn't the best father. All my life, I've struggled not to become my father and BAM," he paused as his hand collided with the dashboard. "I look up, and I've turned into him."

"That's not true..."

"Yes it is! I'm almost never home. I miss birthdays, sport events, anniversities,... the list goes on Liv!..." He was screaming now. Olivia suddenly realized he wasn't angry; he was scared. Softly, she leaned over and kissed him. She pulled back. He was as shocked as she looked.

"Did you just kiss me?" he asked. He hoped he wasn't dreaming, for it was something he had previously dreamed about, but never had the pleasure to experience.

"I think I did. I'm sorry, El," she said as she turned a dark shade of red. He had always thought she looked sexy, and there were few times when she looked hotter than she did on a regular basis. This was one of those times. She had turned back to the window and he knew she was mentally kicking herself.

"I'm not," Elliot assured her. She turned her head slightly to look at him. He decided she needed more convincing, and leaned in to kiss her again...

FLASHBACK ENDS

Elliot's memory of their first kiss vanished with the shrill ringing of Olivia's phone. Sighing, she looked at the display and decided to take the call. She went to the restroom for privacy and he sat back waiting. He heard quiet cooing, and turned to see the older couple staring openly at him. The woman smiled sweetly. The man winked at him and said "Go after her, tiger"  
Elliot grinned and turn around to see Olivia returning from the bathroom. She looked upset, almost as if she had been crying.

"I have to go, Elliot," was all she said as she gathered her coat and fled from the cafe.

TBC

A/N: Thank you to all those who reviewed Flashback and this so far. In case anyone didn't read the summary, this is a sequel to Flashback titled Backtrack. Oh, yeah, I forgot to say the characters weren't mine (except the old people). Dick Wolf caught me trying to take them from his trailer, so now he won't even lend them to me. Sigh, what's a girl to do? 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Stunned, Elliot sat there.

'Why did she run out like that?' he wondered. He noticed she had been crying, though she would try to say she wasn't. He continued to in a confused stupor, a million ideas about what could be wrong running through his head. He felt nervous. He had expected that things would be different once he came back, but they hadn't been too terribly different. He made up his mind that this was a test, and that she was trying to see if he would fail again. Leaping up, he threw a few dollars on the table for the coffee and ran for the door. As he went through the door, he hear the old couple cheering for him.

"That's right, son! Go get her!" He turned to see the old man pumping his fist in the air as his wife lightly slapped his arm. She smiled kindly at him. Elliot shook his head. He was surprised to see Olivia sitting on the bench outside the resturaunt. She had her head in her hands and was sobbing. She appeared not to have noticed him. Elliot sat down beside her, and started to say something. Olivia jumped slightly.

"El...I gotta...I can't..." she said, getting up. He reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Olivia, wait." She not-so reluctantly sat back down. She leaned into him, not trying to hide the tears that were streaming down her face. She wondered how she was going to tell him.

**FLASHBACK**

_Olivia couldn't believe what she was seeing. There, in her doorway stood Elliot. He was soaked from the rain and she knew he had stood out there for a while before deciding to use his key to get into the apartment. She could almost see him struggling to make up his mind whether or not he should go she her. She was glad he did decide to see her. She found it ironic that she was thinking about him. She had honestly expected Casey to be on the other side of the door. She really didn't mind Casey, so long as she wasn't dragging her to a therapy session._

_Olivia stood in shock when she opened the door. Never in a million years had see expected to see her best friend again. She remembered what happened with Alex. The guy had been put on jail, but she still was forced to remain in the WPP. She thought Elliot would have to do the same. Yet, there he stood, staring right back at her._

_"Welcome home, Elliot, " she said. Her lips trembled into a smile, her voice cracked, and her knees started to give out. He rushed toward her, scooping her up, and twirling her around while holding her tightly. Giggling, she leaned down and kissed him. Surprised, he kissed her back until they were both out of breath. Slowly, she slid down his body until her toes touched the floor. In the process, she found that his love for her never died. She felt his desire and lust for her. Smiling, she took his hand and walked him back to her bedroom._

**FLASHBACK ENDS**

"What's wrong, Liv?" She had stopped crying and was now sitting quietly, trying to avoid his eye. Elliot saw this, and secrectly hoped it was a boyfriend so that he could beating the guy up.

"Are you upset about the phone call?" She nodded yes. 'Well duh, Elliot. God, you're such a idiot' he thought to himself.

"...an old boyfriend?" She shook her head no.

"...a new boyfriend?" She smiled, but still shook her head no.

"Is everything alright? Did someone die? Is someone hurt?" She only sniffled.

"El... I have to go..." She just barely whispered. He almost didn't hear her. She continued ro sit, and he was content to sit in silence with her.

**FLASHBACK**

_He clicked off the phone. He wasn't sure where she was, but could hear John and Fin arguing in the background. He guessed them to be on a stake-out. Sighing, he made up his mind, then and there that he was going back to New York. As his new partner always told him, 'You can take the man out of New York, but you can't take New York out of the man.' As cliche as they both knew it was, he also knew it was true. He found that he actually missed the guy. Granted, Chris Flatts wasn't Olivia Benson, but he was a likable guy who was one of few who put up with Elliot's temper._

_Elliot remembered in anger the bastard who had gotten him stuck in the Witness Protection Program. It was a clear evening, and he and Flatts were undercover as unifroms. Elliot thought the guy would see them and run, but Flatts insisted that he wasn't afraid of the uniforms; it was the detectives like themselves that worried him. He was said to have been spotted at a local club. Flatta volunteered them to go undercover. Elliot had laughed: it seemed like something Olivia would do. _

_This was how Elliot found himself pushed over by the perp. Someone had told him that they were on to him and he had made a run for it. Elliot leapt up and started after the guy. The perp, who was a good twenty feet ahead of him, jumped into a waiting SUV. Flatts jumped into the squadcar and turned the ignition. The car blew up. Elliot stood stunned. He watched as the door landed near him. He bent down and stared at the burned door with it's black letters that read _LAPD.

_Elliot remembered later that the plan was that he was supposed to get in the car if the perp made a run for it. Flatts was going to chase him down on foot. He suspected that the perp somehow knew this. His suspicions were confirmed when he found the letter that put a threat on his children's, his ex-wife's, and his ex-partner's life if he didn't back off. _

**FLASHBACK ENDS**

Elliot watched her walk up the street and get into her car. He knew she was watching him in her rear-view mirror. He guessed she realized he wasn't going to follow her. He wished he had followed her, but he didn't know if she wanted him to truly back off, or if she was testing him again. He held his breath as she turned the ignition...

TBC

A/N: First I wanna thank NothingMoreNothingLess for beta-ing (yes, i'm not sure if that's a word, but too bad, i'm using it). I think all of you are familiar with how terrible my spelling is...especially when leaving reviews. Anyway, thankx to you, and thankx to the reviewers. Also, I think I like this format more.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Elliot made up his mind. He jumped off the bench and started sprinting up the street to Olivia's car. Something told him that if he didn't move now, he'd never get his chance to redeem himself. He'd never get his chance to prove his self to her. She must have seen him jogging toward her for she hadn't driven off yet. She hadn't even started the car yet. He got to her car and bent down to look at her. She had clearly been crying and he thought she looked all the more beautiful.

"Uh..." he started. "Why don't we go back to my place? Ya know...we can...talk..." he said, hoping she'd agree. She only smiled. She loved how he suddenly grew shy and was stuttering.

"Sure, I'd like that El."

"Good, but can we take my car?"

"Sure, might as well, mine won't start," she laughed. Elliot loved the way she laughed. He found himself staring as she got out of the car. He suddenly realized she meant more to him than he thought. They walked side by side toward his car. He had his hand planted possessively on the small of her back. Unconsiously, he bagen to rub him hand up and down. He was admiring the muscle in her back and didn't notice when she stopped walking.

"El...?" she half asked, half stated.

"Hmmm?" He suddenly realized what he was doing. "Oh, sorry..." He quickly snatched his hand back and stuffed it into his pocket. He was now blushing and grinning sheepishly. She gave him her trademark grin as she closed the gap between them. She raised herself up on her toes and kissed him softly on the side of his mouth.

"Not out in public...wouldn't want people getting the wrong idea, would we?" she whispered so softly, he almost didn't hear her. Her lips twisted back into a smile as she turned and started to the car. He stood there, stunned. Aside from the greeting she had given him when he came home three months ago, she hadn't made any contact with him. Hadn't she just run out of the diner in tears? Wasn't she just pushing him away? He was confused and hoped that something wasn't going on and she was simply using him as a means to get away from her problems.

"Elliot?" Olivia was at his car and turned to see him standing some ten feet away. She hoped she hadn't sent him the wrong message. She hoped that he realized that she had been crying earlier because she was so damn happy. She wasn't sure and could see he wasn't either. Smiling, she walked back to him and led him by the hand to the car.

He seemed to snap out of whatever he was in and unlocked the car. He, once again, found himself in a trance as she pushed him into the passenger seat, take the keys out of his hand, and walk over to the driver's side. A grin crept over his face as he realized how much he liked that she took control of whatever situation she was in. He watched her close the door and turn to buckle her seat belt. He was fasinated as she adjusted the mirrors and seat. He was mesmirized as she turned the ignition and set the radio to soft rock. Turning her head to look at him, she grinned and put the car in drive. It was then that Elliot remember how erratically Olivia drove at night.

**FLASHBACK**

_Elliot had been avoiding Olivia for the past few weeks. They had slept together and it had been...something else. He had found himself wondered why his wife wasn't like Olivia and if that was the reason they were having problem. He instantly kicked himself for thinking that. His phone had gone off. They both had hoped it wasn't Cragen. It wasn't, but now, he wish it had been. Instead, it had been one of Kathy's friend's husbands, Howie McCall, warning him that Kathy was taking the kids and leaving. She had found out about his affair and had talked to her lawyer the day before. As Howie was explaining this, Elliot was rushing to get home in hopes of stopping Kathy. he had forgotten about Olivia, who was struggling to catch up with him. He remembered seeing her slide down the frame of her front door as the elevator doors closed. He thought to say 'Screw this' and go back to Olivia's waiting arms. He knew it wouldn't be right for his kids, though._

_Elliot really wished Howie had told him earlier. He just knew that during his cutody battle, her lawyer would bring up his work. He didn't mind his discussing the long hours, and would have settled for joint custody. Knowing Kathy, she would probably want full custody and bring up his prior mishaps at work. Most recently, he had used unnecessary force on a supect who turned out to be not guilty. Put the guy in the hospital. Cragen had risked his own job keeping it under wraps. Now Elliot was worried that the wrong person would find out and the end result would cost him his job. _

_Elliot had been right to be nervous. Kathy's lawyer had, in fact, brought up this very topic. The judge, who had been rooting for Elliot, instantly switched over to Kathy's side and now the IAB was all over him. They had been threatening to take his badge. They gave him an option of resigning or transfering, for Kathy had announced quite loudly about his affair with Olivia. Deciding he'd rather give up his life than his job, he opted for a change in pace. He had just come from telling Cragen this when he spotted Olivia. Faster than he had time to comprehend, she was on him._ _He attempted a get-away, but she wasn't having it._

_"Elliot." She was clearly upset. "Wait. What's going on?" He decided to play dumb._

_"What are you talking about?" He could tell by the way her face reddened that it wasn't the smartest move. He hoped that everyone was watching her pull him into the interview room. He had a feeling he would need witnesses._

_"Uh, it's been a couple of weeks..." Elliot decided to keep up his act._

_"Since what?" He instantly regreted saying that. She narrowed her eyes and glared at him._

_"Since you walked out on me. You never gave me an explanation, Elliot. What's going on?" He could see her hurting. He really didn't want to hurt her, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her. He shrugged his shoulders._

_"You...don't...know?" He saw nothing but anger in her eyes as she said this through clentched teeth. He knew he really would regret what he was about to say._

_"I don't owe you an explanation." Olivia blinked in shock._

_"What?" Her voice was low and deadly._

_"I...don't...owe...you..." She had finally hauled off and slapped him. He did admit it hurt, but he had been expecting it. He was glad she walked off because he didn't want her to see him crying._

**FLASHBACK ENDS**

Olivia slowed the car as they approached the light. Elliot had spent most of the ride gripping the seat. It had never ceased to amaze him how riskily she drove. She took chances and if she got pulled over, she dared the unlucky soul to try to give her a ticket.

"Wow...ya wanna slow down?" She only laughed. "My God, I can only imagine how many points you must have on your license...what?" Her eyes went big.

"I left my purse in my locker. We have to go back." They had gone several blocks and, naturally, she put the car in reverse and back the car down the seven blocks-right through busy intersections: she simply put on the siren. Elliot was only slightly worried. He was more excited than anything. She parked his car across the street form the precint. It took all of five minutes to get into the squadroom and get the purse. Elliot had spent the whole time teasing Olivia over her driving tatics. Perhaps this was why they didn't see two punks breaking into her car.

"Hey!" The youth looked up to see the two detectives staring at them. They leaped into the car.

"Stop!" The one in the passenger seat egged the other one to drive off. Elliot and Olivia were about twenty feet from the car. They heard her car resist turning on. He tried it a second time and the entire vehicle blew up into a cloud of smoke and flames. Olivia sat there in awe. Elliot snapped out of his shock and quickly looked around. He saw someone ducking around the corner. Olivia saw him too, and they both chased after him. Elliot was a little behind Olivia, so he didn't see the guy waiting on the other side of the wall with the metal bat...

TBC

A/N: Mwuhahaha...

I have to thank my beta again. In fact, lets all clap for NothingMoreNothingLess. Without ya, my story would only be good, not pretty good. Anyway, for all the reviewers, you can tell me how cruel I was when you leave your review. :hint, hint:


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Olivia felt all the color drain from her face. Her body was drunk on adrenaline and her mind didn't register the pain as she heard the metallic cylinder collide with her ribs. It wasn't until she had crumbled to the ground and saw the guy standing over her that her mind caught up with agony her torso was undergoing. She still had a tight grip on her dignity and refused to let the man see her in pain. He only shrugged and bent down to whisper in her ear.

"You can give that to your boyfriend," he simply said and was off just as Elliot reached them. He started after the guy, but ran in vain through the pitch-black alley. Deciding Olivia was more important anyway, he double-backed to the spot where he left her. She had crawled away from the spot and was leaning against a tree, gripping her ribcage and moaning softly. He sat down and held her, assuring her that everything would be alright. He estimated them to be sitting for ten minutes and he was now noticing that her moans were getting softer and softer and her breathing was slowing down.

"Liv?" She didn't respond. It was then that he realized he hadn't called 911. He was relieved to see she had hers with her, for he left his in the car. He again mumured that everything would be fine and dialed the number. She could hear him frantically shouting into the phone. She smiled at the frustation in his voice as he had to repeat his badge number for the third time. He had finally snapped at the person on the other line. She listen hard and heard the person respond that his getting angry wouldn't help anybody. She almost laughed when his eyes bugged out, the veins in his neck nearly leaped out of his skin, and he let loose on the poor soul on the other end. She could tell the other person wasn't impressed by his temper tantrum when he closed his eyes and counted to ten...twice. Then she heard the sirens.

**FLASHBACK**

_It was the day after his return and Elliot felt renewed. He was happy, no, estatic to be home in his native New York, surrounded by friends and family. He looked at the clock on the desk by Olivia's bed. It read 11 AM. He thought it was late enough and got up to take a shower. He was looking forward to the look on his kids faces when he showed up. His face stretched into a smile and the goofy smile stayed planted on his face from the time he stepped out of the shower to the time he stood on the doorstep of the house that had been his home for twenty years. He was surprised to find he was nervous. He began to have doubts about coming to see his children. What if they hated him? What if they resented him for going away? What would they say? What would they think? He had now talked himself out of seeing them. He was turning around to go back to the waiting taxi when the door opened._

_"Daddy!" shrieked his son as he rammed into Elliot's gut and squeezed. Any doubts that were stopping him before miraculously vanished. The love was so great, Elliot could almost see it oozing off his son as he hugged him tighter. Elliot was proud that Dickie, though he was fourteen and too cool to touch anybody, refused to let go as Elliot attempted to walk into the house. Apparently his daughters heard the commotion and had come see what was wrong with their brother. They stopped as they saw their father waddle into the house, Dickie still attached securely around his waist. The snapped out of their daze when he grinned. Schreeching, they all ran for him at once and Elliot soon found himself on the floor laughing as his children smoothered him with hugs and kisses. For a solid ten minutes this went on. Finally, they found themselves lying in a heap on the floor, everyone exhausted from the excitement. It was Elizabeth who broke the silence._

_"Daddy...what are you doing here?" That earned her glares from her siblings. "I mean...I thought...Mom said that you were staying out in L.A. Not that I'm mad that you're back or anything..."_

_"Well, I'm glad to hear that," Elliot laughed. "You guys didn't really think i was gonna leave you, did ya?"_

_"I don't know, Daddy," offered Maureen. "We were all really shook up when they said you..."_

_"Oh, come guys. I'm not that easy to get rid of," he joked and recieved soft chuckles from his childen. "Seriously, I thought of you guys everyday that I was gone. I prayed to God that if he let me out of Witness Protection alive, the first thing I would do is come home and hug and kiss my kids. I'm so grateful that He gave me that chance..." He was cut off as his children covered him with hugs again. They were content to sit there like this, and this is how his ex-wife found them when she came home two hours later._

_"So Elliot, I ran into Detective Benson today." There was a hint of sourness in Kathy's voice. He knew Kathy had a deep jealous stake in Olivia, but he figured she'd have let it go by now. They were in the kitchen preparing dinner. She was chopping some kind of foreign object that she claimed was a vegetable. Elliot was suspicious of it anyway. _

_"Kathy, don't be like this. Her name is Olivia." He jumped as she slammed the knife into the cutting board._

_"I'm sorry. I ran into _O-liv-vee-ah _today." She streched out the name so that Elliot could hear the hatred behind it as she recited it. She didn't have to, tough: he caught it the first time. Elliot resisted the urge to ask her why she despised his partner so much. She'd avoid the answer, as she always did. Then she'd go into a rant about his commitment to his family and marriage, like she always did. Finally she'd wind down complaining about how much time he spent at work and he seemed more attached to him job than her, like she always did. Then he'd assure her that it wasn't true, his commitment was first to her and the kids and everything else was second. She'd cry and scold herself for thinking otherwise and he'd say it was his fault, he should make more of an effort to be home more. Then they'd head to the bedroom for a few rounds of make-up sex. It was pretty routine for the entirety of his career in the Special Victims Unit._

_"What did she say?" He decided it would be better to keep her calm._

_"_She _says that you were with her last night...I told her that couldn't be true. My Elliot wouldn't go see his _partner _ before he saw his _family_. I told her she was mistaken. I told her she was dreaming..." Kathy went on for a while. Elliot tuned out her voice. He put the lid on the pot he had been stirring around in, sat down at the island in the middle of their kitchen, and rubbed his hand over his face._

_ 'Hmm, I should shave,' he thought to himself. 'Why am I thinking about shaving? Maybe if I rub my eyes, I'll wake up from this dream I'm in...' He rubbed his eyes, but still saw Kathy's mouth moving and she was gesturing angrily. 'Didn't work...maybe if I try again...' He closed his eyes again and reopened them in time to see Kathy's palm collide with the side of his face. Elliot stared at her in shock as she shook with angry._

_"You're thinking of her, aren't you?" Elliot didn't answer._

_" AREN'T YOU!" Elliot opened his mouth to say something when his phone went off. He looked down and almost smiled when the phone displayed Olivia's cell number. He got up to exit the kitchen, but Kathy was blocking the door. She suspected who it was and was determined to confirm her suspicions._

_"Stabler?" he answered, trying his hardest to avoid Kathy's glare._

_"Hey, partner." Elliot nearly forgot where he was again and struggled to keep the smile off his face._

_"What's up?" Elliot could have swore Kathy's eyes had turned red._

_"Ahh...you forgot didn't you?" Yep, her eyes were definately red, and were now starting to twitch._

_"Forgot what?" He saw Kathy balling up her fists._

_"You were supposed to meet us for drinks..." Elliot could almost see Olivia smiling. _

_"Ahh...I did forget..." Kathy's eyes widened significantly._

_"I know...otherwise you'd be here...where are you? With the kids?" Kathy was starting to pace in front of him._

_"Yeah." He could almost see steam coming off Kathy's body._

_"...and Kathy?" Elliot sighed._

_"Yeah..." Kathy looked like she was ready to chew nails._

_"Oh..." Elliot could hear Fin and John in the background._

_"What? The wifey won't let him come out and play?" he heard Finn joke and his heart sunk as he heard Olivia laugh. _

_"Maybe we could put it off for another day..." Elliot suggested._

_"I don't...hey!" Elliot smiled as John's voice suddenly filled his ear._

_"Elliot, listen to me, man. Spend time with your wife. We understand. It's been a few months, I think we can wait a few more days..." Elliot heard Finn interject something about reminding John being divorced three times and that Elliot probably shouldn't take his advice. Elliot laughed out loud._

_"Okay, John. I gotta go..."_

_"What do ya mean you gotta go? You were perfectly fine with chatting it up all night with Benson, but as soon as I get the phone, you're all in a rush to hang up? I understand I'm not as pretty as her and my voice isn't as sultry as hers," He heard Olivia and Finn snort at this, "but I think I deserve a bit more than 'Okay John'" Elliot laughed again._

_"Okay, bye John"_

_"That's better..." John said and hung up. Elliot really regretted not being able to hang out with them tonight. He couldn't even cheer himself up with his kids, for Kathy's mother had kidnapped them almost as soon as Kathy got home. He suddenly remembered Kathy, and turned around to see that she was gone._

**FLASHBACK ENDS**

Elliot sat in the ambulance barking orders at the paramedics. He could tell they were five minutes from kicking him out, but the sympathetic driver saw past his anger and let him stay. The paramedics avoided his questions and talked among themselves in their medical jargon. Elliot quickly became frustrated and began to lash out at them. He felt a slight pressure on his hand and looked down to see Olivia half frowning, half smiling at him.

Olivia laughed to herself. She was glad that Elliot hadn't changed too much. He was still severely overprotective of her. He still had a quick temper. He still was brash as ever. Yet, something was different. Perhaps it was he appreciated more little things. Maybe his voice was softer when he talked with friends. She suddenly realized something. Just then, she felt a sharp pain in her chest.

'What the hell was that?' she wondered to herself. The pain hit her again with ten times as much force. Now she was getting scared. She felt her throat closing up. Her head was pounding and she was having trouble hearing. Everything was starting to dim and had started spinning. She heard the paramedic shuffling things around. Were they worried? Why were they acting like that? The expressions on their faces looked hopeless and she could have cried.

"Is she gonna die?" Elliot had said what she was thinking. She promised to sue all of them if they let her die. Especially from something as drab as a bat to the ribs. She had always said that if she died young, she'd want it to be big and dramatic. She always said she wanted to go down like a hero. Not in a ambulance as her partner shook the paramedics senseless. Not while the paramedics threatened him with a suit of police brutality. Not while the whining ambulance shot down the street, its driver unnecessairly laying into the horn. She felt cold metal againt her skin. She heard someone mumur " Clear!" She guess her body must have jumped, but felt nothing. She caught the scent of a hospital and medicines. But when she opened her eyes, she saw Elliot's tear stricken face. And beyond his face, she saw the face of her mother...

TBC

A/N: I apologize for the long break. I know you must hate me now, but I'll have to ask you to stop stuffing the angry letters in my mailbox. lol. Anyway, I just wanna thank my main reviewers : NothingMoreNothingLess, svu101, TV Angel 711, KaydenceRei, jcn2416. And thank you to all the other reviewers. I promise to update more often, but ya know, we all lead our individual lives. If I didn't, I'd put more energy into bargining with Dick Wolf for his characters.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"So the doctors still don't know what happened?" Olivia turned her head to look at Elliot. It must have been the seventh time in two days he asked her that. Quite frankly, she was glad that the doctors didn't know why her heart had tried to give out. She was happy to accept that her body had gone into to shock from such a forceful blow. The doctors couldn't find anything wrong, so they released her after a couple of days. They warned her that even after her ribs healed, she'd still have to take it easy, for she might have a heart condition. She had only nodded her head and glared at Elliot when he mumbled that 'take it easy' wasn't high on her priority list.

Sighing, she chose to ignore Elliot. She knew he meant well and was genuinely concerned, but the painkillers she was doped up on were making her cranky. He figured she didn't hear him and repeated the question. She bit her tongue and balled up her fist. She tried counted to ten, but was wishing that he would hurry up and get her home. She couldn't be bothered at the moment and knew she was getting ready to say something she'd regret.

"Are you going to see the kids tonight?" She figured if she changed the subject, he'd back off.

"Maybe...yeah...yeah, that's a good idea! I think I will. I haven't seen them in a while. That's a good idea..." Olivia tuned him out. She was happy that her plan had gone better than excepted. He was now gloating over his children and all she had to do was occasionally nod her head.

**FLASHBACK**

_She'd never admit it to him, but she had been really scared. She had felt herself letting go and it was almost surreal. She really went over the edge when she opened her eyes and saw her mother. It was as if she had stepped out of her body and was hovering several inches above it. She looked down and saw blood, frantic paramedics, and an enraged Elliot. She looked up and saw the image of her mother, slightly blurred and surrounded by a dull haze. Olivia cried: her mother looked so beautiful and more sober than she could remember. Her mother smiled at her and held out her hand. Olivia turned around and saw she was in a hospital. The doctors were pushing her body into a room. They were far bolder than the paramedics, and fearlessly pushed aside her partner. They began shouting amongst themselves in nonsensical medical terms as Elliot slid down the wall, sobbing. She turned back around to see her mother still standing there. This time, she was slightly transparent, but she still stood there, wearing a sad smile and holding out her arms. Olivia felt herself floating into her warm embrace._

_"Mom?..." She was cut off as her mother shook her head. She only hugged tighter and motioned for her to close her eyes. Olivia did so, and felt a warm breeze tickle her skin. She opened her eyes to find she was in a field with grass that strecthed for miles. Turning in a circle, she saw that was complelety alone, except her mother. There was no sound, only the overpowerig scent of grass. She saw her mother had sank down into the grass and was waiting for her to follow suit. Olivia noted that the grass was pretty high and she had no idea what might be crawling around in it. Her patience spent, her mother pulled her down. Olivia was surprised: when she had been standing, the grass was only six inches in height, but now, the grass came up to her shoulders._

_"Olivia," her mother said, cutting off her thoughts. Olivia turned her head to look at her. She opened her mouth to speak._

_"Don't speak. Let me talk." Olivia nodded. "I know I wasn't you wanted me to be. I wasn't what I should have been. But, that night I...you...the night I was raped, I felt that everything my parents ever told, gave, and set before me was worthless. I threw it all away. I let this take over my life. By the time I realized this, it was too late to try and get my life back. So I continued to let it consume me. I was young and carrying the child of a man who had so violently violated me. There were numerous times that I wanted to walk away. So many times I walked into that clinic, and every time, I got scared and walked back out._

_"Then you were born. And until you were three, it was fine. I couldn't have been happier. I had a child. I had hope, even if that hope was molded out of the hurt and frustration and fear I endured. I had hope, and was holding onto it for all I was worth. But, as you got older, you started to look more and more like him...I couldn't stand it. I started at aglassof wine and it evolved into an addiction. I never drank to forget what happened to me. I never would, cause if it didn't happen, I wouldn't have had you. I drank because I wanted to ignore the fact you were part of it. I wanted someone to fall back on. I wanted to say 'well, it happened...it's behind me and if all I have is my daughter, then that's enough' But I couldn't, because you were him. No, I'll rephrase that... you were part of it. So no matter where I went, it stayed with me..."_

_"So why didn't you walk away? Just leave like you always threatened to?"_

_"Olivia, dear, please don't interupt. I couldn't walk away. If I had, I'd feel guilty about walking away. Then I'd have gone crazy, cause I'd have felt guilty for walking away from my rape..."_

_"But you wouldn't have walked away from your rape..."_

_"I know, but that's how I felt..."_

_"Besides, you said..."_

_"I know what I said. I said I'd never forget what happened to me. I said I drank because the best thing to happen to me happened because of the most heinous crime against mankind. I regretted that, even though I could easily walk away, you couldn't..."_

_"But..."_

_"You can't walk away from who you are. You can pretend all you want. You can try with all your might. But, when it all boils down, you're still you, like kid playing dress-up with all the lies you try to tell yourself. All you can do is accept it, cause you certainly can't change it." Olivia sat dumbfounded. Never had her mother talked to her with such openness. Never had she spoken with such compassion. They both wiped their eyes and giggled. _

_"Well, love, it's time you got back," her mother said, and clapped her hands. Olivia looked up and saw a door. Curious, she stood up and walked over to the door. As she put her hand on the doorknob, she heard her name being called. Slowly, she turned._

_"Olivia, don't forget this talk we had. You're gonna wanna push him away." She blew her a kiss. Smiling, Olivia reached out and she could almost swear that she felt something land in her out-stretched palm. Chuckling, she pressed her palm into her cheek. She blinked and her mother vanished. She turned back to the door. Slowly, she pulled open the door. She could see through the door, there were doctors still hovering nervously over her body and Elliot was now struggling to maintain his manly physique, but was miserably failing as the tears ran down his face. She took a deep breath and stepped forward. The last thing she remembered was a blinding light and the feeling of hundreds of volts of electricity coursing through her body..._

**FLASHBACK ENDS**

Elliot had caught that Olivia was trying to change the subject. He did realize he had asked if she was alright often, but she always said fine, but never looked so. He also realized that she hadn't been listening to him for the past twenty minutes. He'd stopped talking and drove along in silence. She seemed distant, but he couldn't figure out why. She had only taken a blow to the ribs. It wasn't as if it had never happened before.

"Liv?" he asked, using his favorite nickname for her.

"Hmmm?" She slowly turned her head. She knew Elliot only thought she had been hit in the ribs. He didn't know how hard she had fallen. She figured that her head must have gotten scrambled during the fall. That was also probably the reason behind the blinding headache she was suffering through.

"You're home." She turned her head back to the window: it seemed they were at her apartment.

"Thanks, El..." she sighed and offered him a sad and pained smile. He tried to reciprocate, but he could feel his eyes start to well up.

"I can walk you up, if you like..."

"NO!" Elliot looked as if he had been slapped. "I mean...I think I'll manage. Thank you."

"I don't know, Olivia. I'll walk you up." Olivia gritted her teeth because she had no more energy to argue. She really didn't want or need his help. She balled up her fists as he slid his arm around her waist. She tried to shake him off, but he didn't get the hint. Sighing, she forced herself to make due putting as much distance as possibly between them. This failed to work, however, for he seemed magentized to her and would be right on her if she moved more than two inches away. She was frustrated now and didn't know how much longer she could hold her tongue. She prayed that he would say anything, or else she might lose it.

"So...the doctors still don't know what happened?" And with that, Olivia snapped.

TBC

A/N: Okay, okay. I know I said I'd update on a more regular basis, but I just started working and between that and school, I don't have a whole lot of time to write. So, please, bear with me, and I really promise to have the next chapter up by next Wednesday.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Olivia felt terrible. She had a splitting headache, her ribs were screaming in agony, and she was so fatigued, she could barely move. The furance had broken down and, since the landlord had gotten into a fight with maintance, there was no one to fix it. She was shirvering with the cold of the December weather. She looked out the window and saw that the snow had started to accumulate. She sighed in regret as she remembered how she blew up at her partner. She knew he had the best intentions, but he was severly overprotective of her and that got on her nerves. Plus, she was still reeling from the surreal experierence of talking with her mother.

She knew she was dreaming. She had to be. Either that or she was going crazy. She hoped it wasn't the latter, because if it was, she could kiss her career good-bye. She'd be damned if she lost her job because she thought her deceased mother was giving her advice. Shaking her head, she decided a hot shower would warm her up. No one had called all day, and she hoped that maybe the water would wash away the hurt, lonely feeling she was suffering through. This thought gave her a bit of hope.

She had the water temperature just right and was closing the door to the bathroom when she heard the buzz. Cursing whatever god controlled things happening at the wrong time, she stumbled to the front door. She looked out the window, but saw no car. It probably was Elliot, which is who is was praying it wasn't. Maybe not; he was working today and the only way to get to her apartment in the snow was the subway. She knew for a fact that as macho as Elliot was, he had a fear of the subway.

"Yeah, who is it? And this had better be damn good..." she growled into the intercom. Right now, she could care less who was freezing their ass off outside the apartment building.

"Olivia...it's me." Olivia let out a sigh of relief. She didn't think she could deal with Elliot's arrogance today.

"Olivia...it's cold out here and the wind's blowing..."

"Oh, sorry. Come on up" Olivia buzzed Casey in and waited in her doorway. She wondered if she would try to take the elevator. When she finally saw Casey puffing up the stairs, she guessed the elevator to be out...again.

"Jesus, Olivia, why didn't you just go for the top floor. You're certainly close enough." Casey's face was flushed.

"It's only four flights, Case," Olivia smiled. Casey was supposd to be so bad on the softball team, but she guessed it was hard to climb stairs in the giant coat she had on. "Cold out there, huh?" Olivia teased as the young woman sank into her sofa.

"Not much better in here. Damn, have you heard of a furance?" Olivia noticed Casey had stopped shivering.

"Nah,...just conserving energy..."

"You pissed your maintance off again?" Olivia had to laugh, but in doing so, she felt pain rip through her sides. Involutarily gasping, she too sank to the couch, taking deep breaths. Immediately, Casey shot forward, concern flooding her face.

"You okay, Liv?" Casey could have kicked herself. Of course she wasn't okay. The poor woman had taken a bat the ribs and then procceeded to lapsing into cardiac arrest.

"I'm...okay...Casey..."Olivia said as the pain subdued. She offered her a pained grin. "It was only a bat...my ribs can handle it." Casey chuckled nervously. She didn't know all the details, but she did know that she had been hit more than once and the bat had been a solid mix of hard plastic and steel. The doctors were still baffled that the blow hadn't beat up her lungs. Silence filled the apartment for a full five minutes. Casey decided a change of subject was in order.

"So...where's your sidekick? I was sure he'd have been here." Casey looked about as if Elliot would step out of a closet or something. She turned as Olivia exhaled.

"I haven't seen him since I got out the hospital." Olivia left it at that. It had been almost two weeks.

"Oh..."Casey decided not to probe any further.

"No, way...no way...no way...uh huh, uh huh...no way!" Elliot tapped his foot in frustration as the young receptionist babbled away in her Valley Girl accent. She obviously saw him standing there: she had purposely turned completely in her chair when she saw him walk into the lobby. She continue to talk with her friend, who was the only one who saved her from the bore of her job. She smirked as he glanced at his watch for the umpteenth time. She looked at him and it was the first time she had since he had walked in twenty minutes earlier. Sighing, he could feel her grinning as he turned and sat down in one of many available chairs, think about what Olivia would have done...if she were here.

**FLASHBACK**

_Elliot was happy to be back on the streets. Back on New York streets. He liked California (although the air quality was just as bad), but he loved New York. Something was always happening. Even more than that, it was fall and he wasn't roasting like a pig. As much as he liked the summer, he loved the winter more, especially when it snowed. Taking a deep breath, he was startled when a hand slapped him on the back._

_"Don't wanna do that, El. Ya might snort in something..." Olivia howled. Elliot had to laugh, mostly because it was true. He could tell his partner was estatic to have him back. Unlike him, she hadn't had as much success in breaking in a partner who could handle her. They almost always said something wrong and, instead of crying over it like some women might, she would publicly humiliate them. It was rumored that one made her mad, and she shot him. When Elliot heard this, he smiled and agreed she probably did. She was vicious like that._

_For almost three months, SVU had been trying to track down a guy suspected of brutally raping and three thirteen-year old girls. He had killed one of them, and tried to rape three other girls, who were successful in getting away. He had a slew of traffic violations, outstanding tickets, and other miscellaneous charges. Cragen warned them that the guy like to swing at whatever was available, so Elliot hoped the guy would try to hit either one of them so that he could charge with assaulting an officer as well._

_The walked into the lobby of the sleazy motel he was allegedly staying at. Behind the receptionist desk sat a girl who looked a bit too young to be working and far too young to be working at a place that frequented horny drunks and paranoid ex-mafia members. Yet, there she sat, popping gum and babbling into the phone. Her California accent was very distinguishable as she puntuated each sentence with anywhere from two to five 'like' s. Olivia ignored the drunk men hitting on her (and the few that hit on her partner) and marched right up to the desk. Elliot was right behind her._

_"Ma'am?" Elliot tried. The young girl ignored him._

_"Miss, have you seen this man?" Elliot tried again as he pushed a picture of Andrew James across the desk. The receptionist, never looking at the picture, shook her head._

_"Look, Miss, were in the middle of triple rape/homicide investigation. We'd really appreciated your help." Elliot's coaxing didn't work. By now, Olivia's patience had run out._

_"Okay, Miss, we're..." Elliot was cut off as Olivia pushed him aside. She reached over the desk and cut the phone's connection. The girl looked up, shock written all over her face. She started to say something, but Olivia grabbed a fistful of the girl's shirt and pulled the girl toward her so that their faces were only six inches apart._

_"Listen, I'm sore, I'm hungry, and I haven't slept for the past thirty-six hours," Olivia growled at the girl. "I'm looking for this sick piece of shit," the girl's eyes widened as Olivia held the picture in the girl's line of vision, "who brutally raped three girls, not much older than you. He snatched them right in front of their parents, took them an abandoned warehouse, forced himself on them, and held them captive for _weeks _while demanding tens of thousands of dollars from their parents. He murdered one of them by hanging her while her own hair. Does that sound like someone you'd wanna meet on the street? I have been searching for this ass for three months now and I'm not leaving without him. So either you can help me...or you can help me." The girl seemed to have gotten the message. Suddenly, she pulled out a sly smile._

_"What's in it for me?" Elliot coughed. The room was suddenly silence and the temperature dropped several degrees. Olivia was shocked. Elliot knew she was going to do something that she was going to regret one day. He thought perhaps he should step in, but decided that anyone who had a heart that cold and could get on Olivia's bad side that quickly deserved to suffer through Olivia's wrath._

_Olivia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When that didn't calm her down, she opened her eyes, hoping that the girl would have a change of heart. But when she opened them, the girl was still staring at her, now with a mocking smirk on her face. The girl was close enough to see Olivia's face had now turned red in anger. Her eyes spewed out hatred and, before the girl had a chance to open her mouth, Olivia pulled her arm back and slapped the girl as hard as she could._

_All the men in the room gasped. The girl cried out and fell to the floor. Olivia was on fire now and wanted answers. When the girl stood and told her to go to hell, she pulled the girl completely over the desk and slammed her into it. Olivia had a death grip on the girl's neck as she whispered something inthe girl'sear. Elliot thought that even this wouldn't work, but soon the girl was sobbing and shouting "Room 211" over and over. Olivia released her neck and stalked out of the room. Elliot was hot on her heels._

**FLASHBACK ENDS**

Elliot grinned as he remembered the incident. He looked back at the girl, and realized it was the same girl. She had gained twenty pounds and dyed her hair to match the colors of the Brazilian flag. He continued to stare at her and she must have realized the same thing because instantly, she was off the phone and waving him over.

"Is...is the other detective here?" She looked around nervously. Elliot almost laughed.

"No, she's on her way. Some guy took our parking space so she's out there hooking a bomb up under his hood," the girl eyes largened to twice their size. "That was after she shot him and made him limp down to the store and buy the supplies to make the bomb..." the girl gasped. Elliot grinned. "Can you tell me where I can find Issac Knecks?"

"Ro...room...room 359..." the girl stammered. Elliot started down the hallway. He turned as he got to the elevator and saw the girl telling her supervisor that she was taking a break. Elliot laughed out loud. Only Olivia.

"Come on Olivia, stretch!" Casey shouted. She bent over energetically and placed the palms of her hands on the floor. She pulled herself up in one fluid motion. Olivia was sure the woman's head had to be spinning. Casey then proceeded to cross the apartment in five leaps. They were in the back of the apartment and Casey was now at the front door, where she stopped to do fifty jumping-jacks. Olivia took this oppurtunity to make her escape. She tried to make a break for the bathroom, but Casey was suddenly in her line of vision, shaking her head wildly and repeatedly asking "CAN YOU FEEL THE BURN?"

The door rang and Casey sprinted towards it. Olivia seized themoment and made a dash for the bathroom. She slammed the door and locked it behind her. She slid down the door and let out a sigh of relief. She wondered why she let Casey inside in the first place. She had been wearing a long trench coat under an even longer faux fur coat. They had been sitting quietly and making small talk. Casey had said she knew a way to get rid of the pain. Olivia, ready to try anything, eagerly jumped at the offer. Casey stood and threw off her trench coat.

Olivia's mouth went into the shape of a small _O_. Casey stood in a hideous purple leotard over screaming orange spandex leggings. There was a green shash tied around her thin waist and a matching headband she had pulled out of her pocket. She reached down into her brief case and pulled out a pair of high-top Nikes and gray socks. She pulled these on and pulled out a small boombox. She turned the boombox's volume to the max, and proceeded to dance around Olivia's living room to Madonna's latest hit. Olivia was torn between amusement and shock.They both turned to fear as Casey danced toward her and pulled her up by the arms.

For the past hour, Casey had forced her to down sit-ups, push-up, jumping jacks and various other callestetics to the beat of outdated hits. Olivia thought she was dreaming and had to slap her self several times to make sure she was still alive. Yet, everytime, she opening eyes, there Casey stood, or rather jumped, egging her to do five more push-ups. For the past half hour, Olivia had been thinking of a way to get out of the apartment.

"OLIVIA! WHERE HAVE YOU GONE? THE TUNA ORANGE MUSTARD SMOOTIES ARE HERE!" If Olivia had a mirror, she would have seen her face turn green. Casey began banging on the bathroom door. "ARE YOU IN THERE?" Olivia sighed and almost opened the door when Casey started shouting again.

"AH-HA! YOU WENT OUT THE WINDOW, EH? WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT!" Olivia cracked open the door to see Casey practically bungee jump out the open window. There was a fire escape, but it was a good ten feet below her window. Casey landed it like a cat and sprinted down the stairs. Olivia closed her window. She sighed as the stench of the smoothies hit her nose. Grimacing, she walked back to the living room and shut off the boombox. She sank down into the couch and a sense of horror washed over her as she noticed Casey's coat still sitting on her sofa. Then there was a knock at the door.

**TBC**

A/N: Okay, so I didn't meet my deadline. I'm not too late and thank you for not pummeling me with hate letters. LOL anyways, this chapter has no real purpose other than to move the story along. I had a serious bout of writers block.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Olivia racked her brain trying to figure out a way to avoid opening the door. She knew it would be Casey, especially since she could hear her muttering behind the locked door. Olivia began biting her nails as she glanced around the room for something she could fend Casey off with. She was rummaging around in her kitchen when she heard the front door crash in. Horrified, she slowly walked into the living room. There was Casey doing a mix of yoga and some type martial art. Olivia was speechless.

"Pardon me, darling...okay Cassandra, work those buttocks!" Olivia jumped as Richard Simmons brushed past her. He were wearing an outfit that matched Casey's only he was wearing hideous '80s leg-warmers. Olivia started to feel dizzy. She turned to see Billy Blanks recling on her sofa, barking into the microphone that was attached to his head. Olivia, slighty dazed and completely confused dropped to the floor. She watched as Casey opened her front door to a horde of circus midget wearing the same outfit. Following behind them was Fin. Olivia was overjoyed to see him and jumped up to hug him. He allowed her to squeeze him for a minute before pushing her away.

"I heard you were feeling bad," he said.

"Forget about how I feel, look at all these people...and what they're wearing...you don't find this odd?" she asked, shocked he hadn't said anything.

"I sure do, sweet thang..." With that he threw off the long trench coat he was wearing. Olivia gagged as she saw his get-up. He was dressed head-to-foot in a tight, leather/spandex body suit. On his head, he had a black felt cowboy hat. He had on five-inch stilletos that were far too small for his feet. He had a backpack slung across his back. Olivia swallowed hard before speaking.

"What's in the bookbag?" she asked, although she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"The bookbag?...Oh, you mean this one..." Fin took the pack off his back and placed it on the floor. Carefully, he unzipped it and, as if it were a Mary Poppins bag in a former life, out stepped Huang, wearing the same outfit as Fin. Olivia felt her stomach turn. She quickly started for the bathroom. She clapped her hands to get the attention of everyone in the room. They all turned to look at her.

"Okay, I'm gonna go in here. I'm gonna wash my face, and my mouth, and my hands. When I get out of here, I want you out of here...GONE." She blinked her eyes and almost fell over to see that everyone was gone and replaced by Nick Ganzar, looking at her with a shocked expression. 'What the hell?' she thought to herself as she retreated to the bathroom.

"OLIVIA! ARE YOU OKAY IN THERE?" There was sudden banging on the bathroom door. The voice belonged to Casey and Olivia was reluctant to open the door. Casey didn't give her time to consider opening the door, for she had Elliot break the door down with his shoulder. They found her trying to climb out the window.

"Liv?" Elliot's voice was thick with concern.

"Oh, thank God. I thought you had fallen into the toilet and I was gonna have to fish you out," Casey teased. "Why are climbing out the window? Did I say something? Do I offend?" Casey checked her breath.

"You just brought a circus of midgets in my house!" Olivia screamed. "And Rucnard Simmons, and Billy Blanks...and Fin and Huang...and you had this ridulous outfit on...but you don't anymore...wha...what happened?" Olivia began mummuring breathlessly. She walked up to Casey and fingered her courtroom suit. "Okay, you were just wearing..."

"Shh, Liv. It was probably a dream," Elliot offered. He pulled her arm around his neck, put his arm around her waist and helped her to her bedroom. She sank into the bad, wincing as she landed on her bad side. She looked back up at Casey and Elliot. Casey looked sad as she turned to retrieve an ice-pack from the freezer. Elliot looked out of place as he shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"Look, Olivia...I know you told me not to come back, but..." he was cut off as she pulled his down on the bed to a sitting position. She rested her head on his shoulder and laced her fingers with his. Content and deciding no conversation was in order, they sat like this for some time. It was Casey who broke the silence as she stuck her head in the doorway.

"Sorry, guys, but something came up and Preston's expecting in court in an hour." Casey offered an apologetic smile as she tossed Elliot the ice pack. "Take care of her...make me proud..." Casey laughed as she ducked the pillow Olivia hurled at her.

"So why did you come back?" Olivia asked. She had taken a nap and decided that so long as Elliot was going to shadow her, she might as well put him to work. She had him cooking her dinner as she leaned against her kitchen counter, sipping at a glass of wine.

"I was thinking about you. You remember when...damn" Elliot frantically tried to wipe up the soup he spilled on the apron. Olivia had somehow talked him into wearing her florescent pink apron that read "Don't hate me cause I'm beautiful, hate me because I'm that damn good" and the matching hat. She really didn't mind him spilling the soup for she was itching for a taste and as soon as his back was turned, she stole a sip. Shocked that it was actually good, she proceeded to scoop some out before he destroyed it with the garlic he was returning with.

"What are you doing?" Elliot teased.

"Umm...I...ah...saw a...fly in there. Yeah, and so I had to scoop him out," Olivia tried. "That sucker was a stubborn bastard," Elliot was getting closer, "and he kept slipping back into the pot..." Elliot took the bowl out of her hands, "so, ya know, I had to keep scooping..." Elliot started back toward the pot, "and...ah...I ended up with a bowlful...and...Elliot, please?" He had poured the soup back into the pot. "Come on...my stomach rumbling...and...eh...it's...upseting...my ribs! Yeah, so I need food...now." Elliot wasn't falling for it. He simply replaced the lid and said "wait."

Elliot led Olivia back into the living room. They sat in the dim of the light, sipping wine, and reclining in the comfort of each other. It was something they hadn't done in a while and both were content to sit and take in the evening. A rumble within Elliot's throat broke the silence.

"What?" Olivia asked.

"I was asking you earlier if you remembered when we arrested Andrew James?" Elliot began chuckling.

"Um-hmm..."

"...and that receptionist..."

"yeah...yeah! I do remember her..." Olivia was chuckling now.

"...and she was like 'I don't care if the dude raped those girls'?"

"I was five minutes off strangling her ass..."

"...and even after you gave her that death glare..." Elliot snorted, "she still didn't get it..."

"Oh, man, she didn't know who she was messing with..."

"What did you say to her?"

"Hmm...if I told you, I'd hafta kill ya. Why?"

"Seemed to work..."

"Oh?"

"I saw her today..."

"No..."

"Yep...didn't recognize me at first, but as soon as I realized who she was she did too and got real scared..." Elliot paused to catch his breath. "She asked where you were..."

"Uh-huh..." Olivia was grinning hard now.

"I told her you were driving and some guy took your parking spot, and, after you shot him, you made him limp down to the store so that you... could hook a... bomb...up to his...to his... car..." Elliot couldn't continue:he was doubled over in laughter.

"Wha...what she say to that?" Olivia was on the verge of tears she was laughing so hard. Her ribs were exploding in pain, but she couldn't stop laughing.

"Just told me where I needed to go... she was gone when I came back through the lobby..." At this, Olivia threw back her head and laughed. Her laughter quickly subsided to moans of pain.

"I'm sorry, Liv...you okay?" Elliot was instanly on his feet. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, El," Olivia sighed. This feeling of helplessness was one she hadn't felt in a long time and she hated it. She had become accustommed to being independent and was insecure about allowing people in to help her. She forced herself to bite her tongue as Elliot returned with an icepack.

_'What the hell is wrong with me? He's tried to help before and it never bothered me as much as it does now. Why am I so crabby? Why am I having these mood swings?'_ Olivia could anwer any of these questions. When she found out the answers, however, it would change her life...

THE END

TBC...

A/N: I know, I know...I ended it without warning, but I got tired of writing the flashbacks (sorry, I suffer from short attention span) so I'll do a sequel that will, hopefully, finish this storyline. I'm ready to do another story, but I can't start it until this one's done...why? That's just the way I work...


End file.
